The Yankee organization will not look kindly on the 2008 season in many ways, not the least of which for the struggles of its minor league prospects. While the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees won the International League and the Double-A Trenton Thunder took home the Eastern League title for a second straight years, many of the organization’s top prospects, from Phil Hughes to Ian Kennedy to Alan Horne to Jeff Marquez, had up-and-down seasons.

That said, as these players have begun to participate in winter ball, the performance of the Yankees’ top signed draft pick, Jeremy Bleich, in the Hawaiian Winter League has to be making the Yankee brass happy. The former Stanford lefty is 3-1 with a 2.05 ERA in 30.2 innings over six starts. He has struck out 31 and walked nine, and is pitching to a 1.08 WHIP.

The other top Yankee arm in Hawaii, Andrew Brackman, has struggled at times as he begins his return to pitching from Tommy John surgery. The 6-10 right-hander from N.C. State, the Bombers’ top pick in the 2007 draft, is 3-4 with a 5.90 ERA in 29 innings over seven starts. He has struck out 33, but the biggest culprit in his problems has been a high walk rate – he’s given up 20 free passes already.

At the plate, the two Yankees in Hawaii have had decent runs so far. 2B Damon Sublett is hitting .262 (16-for-61) with two homers, 16 RBI, five doubles and 13 runs scored, while C Austin Romine is hitting .224 (11-for-49) with four doubles, four RBI and eight runs scored.